Daily news update: Ramaphosa responds to Scopa, Zandile Mafe and Cele vs Sitole

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Daily news update 12 February

Ramaphosa’s responses over ANC leaked audio to be tabled before Scopa

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response regarding allegations of public funds being used for ANC campaigns is set to be tabled before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) next week, Parliament has confirmed.

In a statement released on Friday, Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa confirmed the receipt of Ramaphosa’s answers.

The matter has since been referred to Parliament’s legal services department “to give guidance on certain aspects of the President’s response”, which will then be tabled before Scopa.

Malema accuses Ramaphosa of outsourcing responsibility of govt to private sector

EFF leader Julius Malema has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of outsourcing the responsibility of government to the private sector.

Reacting to Ramaphosa’s State of Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday evening, Malema said the president’s views about government not being solely responsible for job creation, and the appointment of former mining executive Sipho Nkosi to lead a team tasked with cutting red tape across government, was an indication that Ramaphosa was outsourcing the responsibilities of government to the private sector.

“Generally they have outsourced the responsibility of governing our people to the private sector,” Malema said outside Cape Town City Hall.

Heat warning: Temperature could reach 40°C in the Western Cape

The South African Weather Service (Saws) has warned of extremely hot conditions in the Western Cape this weekend.

Saws said maximum temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius.

These weather conditions are expected over the Beaufort West, Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn municipalities on Saturday, said the weather service.

Cele fires another shot at Sitole

The working relationship between Police Minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole seems to still be rocky.

Cele fired the latest shot on the sidelines of the State of the Nation Address (Sona) at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday night.

“I want a national [police] commissioner that will work together in a full understanding that our job is not [aligned] to factions, but the person, when it comes to crime intelligence, we [must work] together and walk in unison both physically and mentally. Our first prize is to deal with crime,” he told the SABC.

Parliament fire: State awaiting evidence as Zandile Mafe’s case postponed

The case against suspected Parliament arsonist Zandile Christmas Mafe has been postponed by the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court to 25 March for further investigations.

Magistrate Michelle Adams on Friday granted the state a six-week postponement to finish its investigation following a request from Prosecutor Mervyn Menigo, TimesLIVE reported.

During the court proceedings, Menigo revealed that the state’s investigation was ongoing as some forensic reports were still outstanding.

He also told the court that some items of Mafe’s clothing were still being examined, while other items that were found in the accused’s possession needed to be identified.

Bulk of Ramaphosa’s Sona could easily have been a DA speech, says Steenhuisen

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says the bulk of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday evening could easily have been a DA speech.

Reacting to Ramaphosa’s Sona delivered at Cape Town City Hall, Steenhuisen said the president should be commended for at least saying some of the right things during his speech. He also challenged Ramaphosa to implement the plans he outlined to the nation, saying “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”.

Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa’s “realisation” that government doesn’t create jobs was a considerable departure from the governing ANC’s “central control-obsessed approach to the economy and jobs”.

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